If you’ve ever stayed up all night studying or had a long day of difficult meetings at work, you know what it’s like to be mentally tired. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to how exhausted you feel at the end of the day. One you may not have considered is hearing loss.
How Does Hearing Loss Make Me Tired?
When it takes more effort to do something, whether walking around Pease District Park, filing papers or listening, the more tiring it will be to accomplish. People with hearing loss have to put more effort into understanding speech than their normal hearing counterparts, a phenomenon called listening fatigue.
How Can I Minimize Exhaustion?
Treating your hearing loss is the first step in minimizing listening fatigue. Hearing aids collect and amplify speech and important background noises to improve speech clarity, reducing the effort needed to understand others and easing fatigue.
You should also designate some quiet time in your day. Try taking 30 minutes to read a book, walk around the park or any other silent activity you enjoy. These quiet breaks will decrease the stress of a high-communication day.
In addition to seeking hearing treatment and designating quiet time, you can employ a few techniques to make communication easier, including but not limited to:
- Facing the speaker. Facing the speaker when conversing helps you pick up on important context clues and lip movements. Don’t look at your phone or around the room. If possible, try not to talk from separate rooms.
- Using captioning. If possible, use captioning software to translate spoken words into written text. Many virtual meetup platforms offer captioning. You can check the settings of your platforms and turn on captioning for easier meetings.
- Change the setting. Noisy areas aren’t the best setting for talking-heavy get-togethers. Opt for quiet restaurants and coffee shops over noisy bars and events.
If hearing loss makes you too tired to enjoy time with friends, family and coworkers, contact Austin Auditory Specialists to schedule a treatment consultation with one of our specialists.